Robyn Wiebe

Morden City Council has awarded the tenders for the redesign of the Alvey Street and Parkhill Drive bridges, which remain closed at this time. The two structures were severely damaged during the spring's sudden overland flooding. 

Mayor Brandon Burley explained.  

Morden Fire and Rescue were dispatched to a fire call over the weekend.

"We had a fire call on Saturday evening, where we had a kitchen fire in a residential home on 13th Street," explained Fire Chief Andy Thiessen. "The owner of the home was at home, he just happened to be outside at the time. When he came in, his house was full of smoke so he was able to call it in quickly, and we were able to respond quickly so the damage was kept to the kitchen area. So, that part went good."

Thiessen had a reminder for the public.

Artist And Writer, Celia Rabinovitch has created an exhibition for the Manitoba Museum featuring photographs by Nick Yudell, a cousin who grew up with the Rabinovitch family in Morden and died as a RAF Pilot in World War II.   

Celia describes how when Yudell was twelve, a family member gave him a camera and over the next decade he took 300 photos. He wrote the time, date, place and the names of the people in each picture, and put the negatives in brown envelopes in a gray box he made for them. 

Last week, the Economic Development, Investment and Trade Minister Cliff Cullen announced a $516, 000 investment for Regional Connections to address the workforce shortage in the Pembina Valley. 

In a Press Release, Minister Cullen stated, "Our government’s investment will enable Regional Connections to provide project-based employment services so unemployed and underemployed Manitobans living in the Pembina Valley can receive short-term skills development and on-the-job training to find and maintain purposeful employment."  

Today, the keys of the Winker/Morden Habitat for Humanity (WMHFH) home in Morden are officially handed over to the recipients Pete and Emily.    

Pete shared what it feels like to start making payments towards this home. 

"For us, this means a place that we can actually call home and put roots down, and we can just work on it as a family together, making things better, expanding, and finishing up the basement. And just building memories with our family in this one place, and not just have memories of moving."  

It didn't take long for Morden's outdoor recreation options to expand this summer, with the recent announcement of a full-size outdoor basketball court including two half courts to be installed by the skate park on the corner of Wardrop and 1st St.

Mayor Brandon Burley explained how this came about. 

It was stiff competition Saturday morning at the Morden Park, as the Challenger Baseball Team took on the Morden U-13 AA Boys in the final game of the Challenger season. 

The Challenger Baseball Team is made up of 10 athletes from around the Pembina Valley with physical and intellectual disabilities, who are partnered with buddies each Saturday. Buddies may be family members or other athletes who play a game with them. 

Challenger Head Coach Courtney Yeo-Thiessen was pleased with the morning. 

June 21st is National Indigenous Peoples Day in Canada. On Saturday in Morden at Colert Beach, a program featuring Indigenous music and dancing took place.  

Swan Lake First Nation Historian, Retired Elder and Indigenous Environmental Expert David Scott opened the program.  

He said it was sad there has to be a day set aside to recognize First Nation’s people but reminded the crowd there was a time when they were not considered human. It was only in 1960 when John Diefenbaker was Prime Minister of Canada, that was changed, when they were given the right to vote. 

The Canadian Fossil Discovery Centre (CFDC) got a financial boost last week, to build a one thousand-square foot building out at the Rm of Thompson dig site. The 1000-square-foot building is designed for half of the building to be for storage of dig equipment and tools, and the other half for a reception area to welcome guests working or touring the dig sites for the day.  This area will include a small kitchen to provide lunch for the guests that are there for the full day or week. 

CFDC Executive Director Adolfo Cuetara explained where the funding is coming from. 

A sense of celebration and anticipation filled the Morden Access Event Centre Sunday night, as families took their places at tables around an open dance floor.  Approximately 400 people gathered for the Philippine Independence Celebration.  

A Morden resident since 2008 and organizer of the first-time event, Jewel White described the evening.